Rubber band gun



United States Patent [72] Inventor Mitsuo Endo 1012 Barnisdale Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35232 [21] Appl. No. 723,439 [22] Filed April 23, 1968 [45] Patented Oct. 27, 1970 [54] RUBBER BAND GUN 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 124/18, 124/45, 124/35 [51] lnt.Cl F4lb 7/02 [50] Field ofSearch 124/18, 19, 16, 35. 41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,751,488 3/1930 Meyer 124/18 11/1932 Saxton 1,887,520 124/18 FOREIGN PATENTS 263,685 12/1949 Switzerland 124/18 Primary Examiner Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examinerwilliam R. Browne Attorney-Clarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacobson ABSTRACT: An elongated resilient member is slidingly mounted between its ends in a passage provided in the grip of I a toy-type rubber band gun. The laterally bent forward end of 3 said member is anchored in the barrel and provides a normally cocked trigger. The terminal rearward end provides a band i retaining but releasable catch while the specifically bowed median portion is fashioned into a loop which holds a reserve supply of ready-to-use extra bands. This gun is adapted for use i by the youngster who is intrigued by a pistol" or the like that shoots rubber bands and carries a reserve supply for instant reloading.

Patented Oct. 27, 1970 3,536,055

' Mifsuo Endo INVENTOR.

BY fi w RUBBER BAND GUN This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a simple, practical and resourceful toy gun of a type which shoots rubber bands, which is such in design and construction that it can be economically made from wood, pressed cardboard, lightweight metal and colorful moldable plastic materials and will satisfactorily serve the fun provoking purposes for which it is intended.

The gun is designed to promote fun for spirited youngsters who revel in the pastime of playfully gunning for nearby moving targets or, alternatively resort to the skill required when aiming and shooting at an indoors stationary target or for such other activities wherein a rubber band gun is known to be popularly useful.

Briefly, the gun, as such, is characterized by the usual onepiece unit the inward end of which constitutes appropriate stock and which is provided at its outer end with an appropriately designed and proportionate barrel. The muzzle at the end of the barrel is designed to accommodate and seat the leading end portion of the rubber band. The rearward end of the stock, that is the butt portion, is especially delineated or shaped as will be hereinafter more specifically described. The underneath part of the stock is provided with an appropriate grip. The trigger means embodies a fingerpiece or trigger at the forward end which is fixedly joined with the stock in front of the grip. A median or intermediate portion of the trigger means is passed through an opening or bore provided therefor in the upper part of the grip. That part of the trigger means rearwardly of the grip is fashioned into a curvate end portion which provides an extra band storing loop. The rearward or terminal end has a hook whose bill portion provides a detent which is removably seated in a keeper seat provided therefor, thus providing a novel catch. The inherent spring properties of the trigger means provides an adaptation wherein the trigger proper is normally cocked. By pressing on the trigger the overall trigger means rides back and up and the detent is released to trip that end of the band which is releasably engageable therewith.

A general object of the invention is to structurally, functionally and in other ways improve upon rubber band guns. The trigger means employed serves not only to store a plurality of rubber bands but to retain them in a stretched position before each usable band is tripped and fired.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of con struction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation ofa rubber band gun constructed in accordance with the invention and showing one band readied for firing and the reserve bands stored and in readiness to be brought into firing position one at a time.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the gun shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section on'the plane of the section line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view stressing the construction and manner of use of the aforementioned trigger means.

Referring to the part of the structure which constitutes the gun it is reiterated that suitable materials may be employed. The appropriately proportioned and shaped stock is denoted at 6. The inward or rearward end portion is denoted generally speaking by the numeral 8 and constitutes the aforementioned butt. The imitation barrel which is attached to and projects forwardly beyond the stock is denoted at 10 and the straight across right angularly disposed terminal end 12 constitutes the muzzle over which a leading end portion 14 ofa conventional rubber band 16 is stretched for temporary retention. The rearward or trailing end portion of the band is denoted at 18 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The grip is preferably integral and it is denoted by the numeral 20 and is conveniently designated here as having a forward lengthwise edge 22 and a rearward lengthwise edge 24. Of greater significance is the fact that the upper portion of the grip is provided with a through bore which provides a suitably curved passage 26 (FIG. 4). This passage extends through the edges 22 and 24 and is just below and generally parallel to the bottom edge portion 28 of the stock.

The principal improvement is designated, broadly speaking, as trigger means. On the other hand and because of its several useful purposes it constitutes not only a trigger but a trip and also a reserve supply holder,.that is a holder for the extra rubber bands denoted generally at 30 in FIGS. I and 2.

More specifically the trigger means or member is denoted as an entity by the numeral 32 and it is preferably made from a single length of resilient wire made of metal, plastic or suitable material of requisite gauge. The main component 34 of the trigger member has a forward portion 36 bent as at 38 to provide the fingerpiece or trigger proper. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the terminal end portion 40 is appropriately embedded in the stock. A significant portion of the part 34 extends slidingly through and rearwardly beyond the passage 26 and this portion is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 42. That portion just beyond the rear edge is longitudinally curved or arcuately bent as at 44 and the rearward terminal end portion 46 is provided with a hook shaped trip whose bill portion 48 constitutes a detent. This detent is normally releasably seated in a keeper socket 50 which is provided therefor. The component portions 44 and 46 provide a loop which is spaced from the first and second bevelled surfaces 52 and 54 which provide properly shaped marginal surfaces. This loop thus provides a holder on which the extra rubber bands 30 are hung and stored and which can be brought up one at a time around the loop and over the bevelled surfaces 54 and 52 respectively to assume the ready-to-firc position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It follows that the elongated resilient wire or equivalent resilient member forms the trigger then passes through the passage in the handle and forms a loop to hold the reserve rubber bands and is then bent into shape to provide a hook which functions as a catch and holds the trailing end of each rubber band in firing position. It is also evident that the manner in which the extra bands are brought up step-by-step and are loaded one at a time is substantially self-evident and therefore need not be illustrated in a step-by-step manner in the views of the drawing. The construction and arrangement is so simple and self-evident that very little instruction if any is necessary to enable even a small youngster to initially load the gun and start using it for target practice or whatever purposes desired. The bevelled surfaces 52 and 54 or alternatively, 54 and 52 serve to guide the bands 30 into shooting position as is believed to be substantially evident.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

lclaim:

l. A rubber band gun comprising a stock having an imitation barrel joined with and projecting beyond a forward end and terminating in a positioning and retaining muzzle for the leading end of a rubber band, said stock having a butt at its rearward end and also being provided with a pistol-type grip adjacent and projecting laterally from said butt end, said butt end having a first bevelled marginal surface and a second coacting bevel providing a guide merging with said first bevelled surface, said grip having a bore therethrough providing a passage, a longitudinally bowed resilient wire having a median portion passing through and slidable back and forth in said bore, said wire having means at the rear end for detachably engaging the trailing end of a rubber band and having a laterally bent end portion forwardly of said grip and defining the trigger proper said bent end having a terminal portion embedded and immovably anchored in said stock.

2. The rubber band gun defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said means comprises a rearward portion of said wire situated rearwardly of said grip and providing a hookshaped catch, said catch having a bill portion providing a detent, said detent being releasably seated in a keeper seat provided in said marginal surface.

3. The rubber band gun defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said rearward portion is longitudinally bowed and curved over said bevelled surfaces and is adjacent but slightly spaced therefrom in a manner to provide a storing loop for a reserve supply of extra bands which can be guidingly piloted one-by-one from a stored state to a ready-to-use position between said bevelled surfaces and releasable catch.

4. The rubber band gun defined in and according to claim 3, and wherein said wire is of one-piece form and is possessed of the inherent springy properties necessary to maintain the trigger normally cocked and said detent releasably seated in a rubber band stretching ready-to-fly manner.

5. A toy gun designed and adapted to hold and shoot individual rubber bands comprising, a stock having a forwardly projecting barrel terminating in a positioning and retaining muzzle for releasably attachable leading end of a rubber band, said stock having a butt at its rearward end and also having a complemental laterally projecting grip, said grip having an open ended bore extending therethrough and providing a passage, trigger means comprising a longitudinally bowed resilient member having a median portion passing through and capable of being manually slid back and forth in said passage, said resilient member having means at its rearward end for attachably but releasably engaging the trailing end of a tensioned rubber band therewith, and also having a laterally bent bendably resilient end portion spaced from and located forwardly of said grip and defining the trigger proper, and said bent end portion having a terminal portion embedded and fixedly anchored in said stock.

6. The toy gun defined in and according to claim 5, and wherein the means at the rearward end of said resilient member is situated rearwardly of said grip and is fashioned into a hook-shaped catch, said catch having a free terminal bill portion constituting a detent, said butt having an accessible marginal surface provided with a keeper seat, said detent being alignable and oriented with and releasably engageable with said keeper seat, and the trailing end of said tensioned rubber band being releasably connectible with said detent.

7. The toy gun defined in and according to claim 6, and wherein said rearward end is also longitudinally curved adjacent said catch and is of a curvature that it is conformingly spaced from but is adjacent the coacting marginal surface of said butt, whereby to provide a storing loop for a reserve supply of ready-to-use rubber bands. 

